


Not Enough Time

by Darc (GothAlbinoAngel)



Category: Z-O-M-B-I-E-S (Disney Movies)
Genre: Antagonist POV, Canon Compliant, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:41:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25346398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothAlbinoAngel/pseuds/Darc
Summary: The Moonstone was their lifeline. It would restore balance and health to the Pack. The problem was that the humans weren'thelpfulin finding it. As the days passed without any leads, Willa's patience was waning. And Moon help the humans once it ran out.ZOMBIES 2 mostly from the wolves' point of view.
Relationships: Willa Lykensen & Wyatt Lykensen, Wynter Barkowitz/Willa Lykensen
Comments: 7
Kudos: 17





	Not Enough Time

**Author's Note:**

> I felt like doing something from the wolves' point of view. Why not throw some cute werewolf girlfriends in while I'm at it. There are a few added scenes here or there to make it just a little more than what the movie presented. Hope you enjoy!

This was getting them nowhere. The lying history books didn’t have a single clue as to where those humans could have hidden the Moonstone. She just wanted what was hers. The Pack didn’t want to be in this stupid town any longer than necessary. Well, maybe Wyatt did, but he could do whatever he pleased once they got the Moonstone. Willa would be happy never to see another pastel shirt or head of green hair ever again.

“Hello, Wolves!” a voice called. Willa rolled her eyes as a trio of zombies strolled over. “I’m Zed. Zombie. Football star. Presidential hopeful.” He held out his hand to them, but none of them took it. Wolves didn’t shake. They weren’t dogs, trained to grab a hand on command. The zombie realized this after a long moment. “Okay.”

One of his companions stepped to his rescue. “When zombies first came to Seabrook, we were outsiders, too. Which is why you need a great president like Zed to represent you.” Willa was about to snort at both the display and the audacity they had to present themselves this way, but the zombie dropped the act for a moment and added, in a much more sincere tone, “We’d be honored if you joined us.” Interesting. This one had potential.

Wynter slammed a hand down. She couldn’t let some zombies think the Pack was puppy chow or something. They were fierce, they were dangerous, they were _werewolves._ “Our _Pack_ is _our pack_. We don’t need anyone else, so…”

The tiny zombie piped up, “Who doesn’t want more friends? Underneath all that fluffy hair, I bet you’re a real softie.”

There was no way that could be ignored. Leaning down to the kid’s eye level, Wynter growled, “I am a mean, _mean_ werewolf, kid. I am tough, and _rough_.” Willa loved when Wynter tried to act ferocious. Her mate tried so hard to be fierce like the rest of them, but she was the sweetest werewolf to come out of the Pack their generation.

And the tiny zombie seemed to know it too. “Aw, you said ‘ruff’, like a cute little puppy dog. Ruff ruff!”

Time to try again. Wynter’s eyes narrowed the way Willa taught her to do when she wanted to intimidate someone. “We are beasts of the forest! We will _never_ be tame!” An instant later, the most enjoyable sensation sparked behind her ear as the tiny zombie scratched at her sweet spot. “Oh wow. Oh wow, that’s great.”

Willa’s eyebrows pulled together. She would rather have laughed at how easily the tiny zombie tamed her girlfriend, but these other two had no business walking over the way they did. Sweeping to her feet, she approached them with the same stalk she approached everything else in this town. “We’re nothing like you, zombies,” she huffed.

“You sort of are,” the shorter one said carefully. “Your necklace is powered, right? Like an organic Z-Band?”

Okay, so that was a little impressive. “You’re smarter than he looks,” Willa praised, raising her eyebrows at the taller zombie.

Zed kinda felt a little offended over that, but he let Eliza have her moment, since it seemed to be getting the wolves on their side. “That necklace keeps you from fully wolfing out?”

Did this cretin just reach for her moonstone? Willa smacked him irritably. “The opposite. Our moonstones make us our true werewolf selves.” She wanted to add more, to sing the praises of her Pack to the stars until every miserable townie here knew of the amazing feats they were capable of, but she wouldn’t waste her breath. Not on a place like Seabrook.

“So, without it, you’d be human.”

“No. We die.” Seeing the reaction from the zombies and noting the smaller one’s presence, Willa tried to soften it, if only for the little zombie pup. “We’d be nothing.”

“Imagine how alive you’d feel if you didn’t have to tamp things down,” Wyatt added, switching the focus onto the zombies and the difference between them and the wolves. “Hold back your true selves.”

Eliza’s eyes brightened at that. Maybe the werewolves would be interested in hearing her thoughts about the Z-Bands and zombie evolution. “Actually, I have a theory that zombies may have evolved beyond underneath the Z-Band-.”

Zed couldn’t have that. Regardless of how much he supported Eliza and her research, right now wasn’t the best time to mention it. They were trying to get the werewolves to fit in, not continue standing out. “Z-Bands are great. They help you _fit in_.” Willa’s eyes narrowed and she glanced to the short one again. _So she really_ ** _is_** _the smart one…_ “And I think you guys would have a much better time at Seabrook if you just followed in our footsteps. Join a club. Try football.” He pointed to Wynter. “I’ll even teach you how to tackle.” He looked around at them all. “Just… lighten up. Be more like us.”

Oh, this was _not_ happening. Willa didn’t have time for whatever games this zombie lunkhead was playing. They had no reason to appease these sniveling humans and their ideas of ‘fitting in’. Werewolves didn’t fit in, they did everything in their power to stand out. They were a group created and founded on each wolf’s individuality and what each one brought to the greater Pack as a whole.

Willa brushed past the tall zombie with an eye roll. She and the group made to stroll away. They had better things to do than be some zombie’s random charity project or whatever.

“Do it like the zombies do,” Zed tried, wanting to help them understand. Fitting in was everything in Seabrook. They’d feel better if they were like everyone else. Seeing an easy way in, he latched onto the cute one that Zoey took a liking to. If they got her, the others would follow.

Wyatt knew exactly what would happen if he let that zombie get too far with Wynter. He hurried to pull her from his grip and pass her back to Willa. Willa checked to be sure Wynter was with them, safe. Who knew what these people were capable of beyond thievery. For all they knew, kidnapping was next. Willa would slash the throat of anyone who tried to touch Wynter like that.

The lunkhead still tried to get them to be ‘normal’ or whatever. The other zombies seemed to only be on his side to win the wolves over. If anything, the zombies seemed to feel better when they were allowed to remain in control of themselves while _being_ themselves. Even plenty of the ones trying to help Zed didn’t seem to be fully immersed in the message. They liked being themselves more than being like everyone else.

Zed knew he could get the wolves. He would have this election in the bag. He spun his football with a grin, only to feel a heavy weight slam into him from the side. For a small werewolf, she sure was heavy, and could pack a mean tackle.

The other wolves howled in unison with Wynter, reaffirming their bond with one another. Zed groaned as he pushed himself to his feet. That hurt, but that was also good. “Hey, that was a solid tackle,” he chuckled, wincing as he held his side. He slung an arm around her shoulders and Wyatt was not fast enough to stop Willa this time.

“Werewolf rule,” she growled, lifting the boy by the back of his shirt. He was easily taller than her, but that made no difference when the Wolf was in control. “ _Never_ touch a wolf’s mate without permission.”

“From the wolf?” Zed gulped.

He flinched as Willa’s eyes glowed bright yellow. “ _From the mate!_ ”

Wyatt cleared his throat and Willa reluctantly put down the quivering zombie in her grasp. She slid back to Wynter’s side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. His scent was on her now. That wouldn’t do. “ _Wolves, home_.”

As they all headed for home, Willa shot a glare back at the lunkhead and his friends before they all disappeared. She’d need to cleanse Wynter of that scent. He wasn’t worthy of marking her that way.

~~~

Willa paced through the school halls, her muscles tense as she stalked the tiled floors. She hated this. She hated the waiting and the watching. These disgusting humans always only led to trouble. She just wanted her Moonstone, and then the Pack would leave these miserable sacks of meat alone. But like everything else, the humans were just sitting on their hands instead of doing anything _helpful_.

A short howl reached her ears and Willa bolted off in the direction it came from. To the humans, it may have been just a howl, but she knew what it meant. _We need help_.

Willa skidded around a corner and slid to her knees beside Wynter. Some of the others were holding on to her carefully, but they scooted back to keep a lookout. Willa gently lifted Wynter into her arms and brushed some of her hair back.

Wynter’s eyes fluttered open and she took a labored breath. “Willa?”

“Hey, Wynter, I’ve gotcha,” Willa cooed. “What happened?”

“My necklace kinda… shorted out or something I guess,” Wynter mumbled. “I had a little trouble breathing for a sec.”

“How do you feel now? Can you stand?” Wynter nodded and Willa helped her to her feet. The other pack members glanced back to confirm the two of them were alright before loosening the circle. Some of the straggling humans watched the group curiously, but bared fangs and a few growls sent the onlookers running.

“We should get her back to the Cave,” Willa said to the others. “The shared energy will help keep her health stable. We’re too spread thin while we’re here.”

Wynter shook her head. “Willa, I wanna help,” she pleaded. “We gotta find the Moonstone or nobody’s gonna be okay.”

“You need to save your energy,” Willa reminded her. Her heart squeezed as she stared into those big brown eyes. She never wanted to deny Wynter a chance to experience something, but they were all running out of time. Pushing herself like this would only shorten the time she had left.

“I’ll save my energy, but we need as many of us as we can get to find it.” Wynter laced her fingers with Willa’s. “I wanna help. We’re a team, a Pack.”

Willa took a deep breath and nodded. “Alright. I’ll go do some recon. Are you gonna be okay?” Wynter nodded. Willa looked to those around. “ _Wolves, take her to Wyatt and keep an eye on her._ ” To Wynter, she whispered, “Don’t push yourself.”

They all nodded at her orders and headed off to find Wyatt. Willa watched them until they disappeared. She took a deep breath, but released it in a growl as a hand came down on her shoulder. She whirled around to find one of the zombies from yesterday, the smart one, watching her curiously.

“What?” Willa grunted.

“You seem tense,” the zombie responded. “I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help?”

“Doubtful.”

The zombie shrugged. “That’s fair. I am a little hyperfocused on the campaign. But, you know, anything I can do to make you guys feel more comfortable in Seabrook, I’ll do my best.”

Willa snorted. She didn’t doubt this one could help her, but if the history books couldn’t tell them anything about the Moonstone, she doubted the average person would know anything about it. No, there was nothing anyone could do. Wyatt had his sights on Addison, but there was no sure way to tell if even she could help them.

“Oh!” The zombie was still here? “I never got the chance to introduce myself. I’m Eliza.”

“Willa.” They didn’t shake. Werewolves didn’t shake. Thankfully, Eliza seemed to realize that.

“Like I said, anything you need, let me know.” She pursed her lips for a second. “I know things might seem tense now, but… they don’t have to stay that way.” With a wave, she was off, no doubt to find that jock friend of hers to work on the presidential campaign.

Willa took a deep breath and growled under her breath. She needed to find the Stone. Wynter needed it, the Pack needed it, they all needed it to survive. With each passing hour, things got worse and these stupid humans were no closer to revealing the Moonstone’s location than when the werewolves arrived at the school doors. Willa’s patience was waning.

~~~

As she was looking through the library again, Willa heard another howl. Just like before, she sped toward it. This time, it brought her to the gym. She spotted Addison heading in one direction and the Lunkhead going off in another. She rolled her eyes and made her way in.

“Wynter!” she called, running toward her mate. Wynter’s stone glowed green and Willa caught her as she sank to her knees. “Hey, hey, hey.”

Wyatt knelt beside her. “She’s getting worse.”

“I told you not to push yourself,” Willa scolded her. “You _need_ to slow down, Honeysuckle.”

“Hello there!” a loud voice cut in. Willa’s eyes lifted to some random human holding out his hand to her. “I’m Bucky! I hope I’ve got your vote for school prez!”

Willa swept to her feet and grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt. The other cheerleaders froze at that while the other wolves waited for any orders. Lifting the big idiot, Willa growled, “Your competition is _meaningless_ to us. If you don’t have anything _useful_ to say, _shut your mouth._ ”

The human whimpered and nodded quickly. Willa dropped him and turned back to her pack members. Wynter was on her feet but leaning on Wyatt for support as she caught her breath. She gave Willa a sheepish smile and Willa returned it with a strained smile of her own.

Turning her attention to Wyatt, Willa asked, “What did you find out?”

“Nothing yet,” Wyatt sighed. “But I’ve planted the seed in Addison’s head. We just need to get her to _understand_ what we want.”

“And if she doesn’t have the info we’re looking for?” Willa grumbled.

“Well it’s not like we’ve _told_ her anything!” Wyatt pointed out. “None of these humans even really know what we’re looking for. You mentioned the Moonstone twice, but the first time, we had to convince them that we mean them no harm, and the second time, you kinda huffed out.”

Willa rolled her eyes and Wyatt placed a hand on her shoulder. “Instead of vague hints, we need to tell her _outright_ what we’re looking for and why it’s important. She has to know _something_. Even without an exact location, she can tell us _something_.” He glanced over to Wynter and whispered, “Something is better than getting nothing at all.”

Willa took a deep breath. He was right. They needed Addison. Even if she wasn’t the Great Alpha, she would still have _some_ info. “Alright,” she huffed irritably. “How do you suggest we approach this?”

Wyatt grinned and slung an arm around her shoulders as they started out of the gym. “Well, we can use Wynter’s initial idea, and wait until the moon is out to lend us some strength…”

They started for home to rest and recuperate. They were waiting until sundown to put the plan in motion, so they had a few hours to kill. Willa climbed up onto her ledge and flopped down.

Some of the others were coughing, indicating their failing necklaces. Too much time was passing with no leads. Yes, they had this Great Alpha possibility, but Willa didn’t trust the humans. Even if Addison _did_ turn out to be a Wolf, she was still raised by and like humans. She might as well still be one of _them._

Wynter climbed up beside her and Willa smiled, opening her arms. Wynter slid into them and snuggled against her alpha. “I can’t wait to find the Moonstone,” she whispered. “We’re gonna find it and live healthy, long lives for the next 100 years, right?”

Willa’s arms tightened around her mate and she chuckled. “Of course we will. Those humans can’t hide it for much longer. We’ll find that Stone, and then I’ll be able to take you on trips to new places.”

“We can see the Bahamas?” Wynter gasped.

“All the sand and sea and volleyballs you could ever dream of,” Willa affirmed with a smile.

“The pups will like that.” Wynter’s voice trailed off as she drifted to sleep.

Willa let her, knowing they all needed to rest. She doubted she would, though. She couldn’t sleep knowing the sweetest wolf she’d ever known could possibly-.

Her tongue stung as she bit on it to stop those thoughts. They would be fine, the Pack would be fine, _Wynter_ would be fine. They had to make it. They were the originals, the ones who belonged here. Those humans couldn’t stop them from being who they were. _In this Pack for life_. Willa would make sure they found the Moonstone, if it was the last thing she did.

Wyatt glanced up to his sister’s ledge and just knew she wasn’t resting. He couldn’t blame her. They were all fading fast, but Addison could help. He knew that if they just explained the problem, Addison would provide the solution. She had to. They wouldn’t last much longer if she didn’t.

~~~

“I’m picking up the scent,” Wynter called to the others.

“Me, too,” Warner agreed. “It should be around this way.”

“I don’t know how you two can tell the difference,” Willa snorted as she followed them through the line of pristine houses. “All these humans have the same scent to me.”

“Probably because you hate their guts,” Wyatt teased, bumping her shoulder.

Willa shrugged, not even bothering to deny it. “Well, it’s hard not to hate thieves.”

Wynter and Warner hurried along the road with everyone else in tow. Wyatt had to admit that Willa did have somewhat of a point. The humans smelled heavily of perfume, as if trying to cover some kind of stench. He definitely wouldn’t be saying that aloud. Willa would use it for who knew how many jokes and snipes.

“Ooh, ooh!” Wynter gasped excitedly. “This one! She’s up this one!” She pointed to one of the pristine houses and practically bounced up the walk.

“One of us should knock,” Wyatt said, making to walk up the drive. Willa stalked passed him and stopped at the door. She stared at it for all of a moment before dragging her claws over the width of the flimsy screen. Wyatt gave a soft sigh. “Why is she like this…”

As Addison stepped out of the house, the rest of them moved into the driveway to watch her. She gasped at the sight of them, but none of them blinked. Yeah, it was probably creepy, but they didn’t have time for human pleasantries.

“Come with us,” Willa ordered.

“What’s so important?” Addison demanded, staring at them warily.

“You are.” Wyatt had to admit, that was probably laying it on a little thick, but he wasn’t wrong. They needed her.

Addison hesitantly closed her door behind her and made her way after them. Willa and Wyatt took the lead, heading toward the Forest. If they were going to get her to help them, she needed to understand the gravity of the situation. Having concrete proof wouldn’t hurt either.

Willa wondered how much eye-rolling it would take for them to be permanently stuck in the back of her head. She knew humans weren’t as good at traversing the forest, but seriously, come on. Wasn’t this chick a cheerleader? She should’ve been more nimble than this.

The trees started thinning up ahead. The moon shone overhead as they neared the Cave. They would finally be getting somewhere at last.

Addison slowed warily and asked, “Where are we going?”

They all paused to try and explain, but there seemed no need. Wynter turned to Addison, usual smile firmly in place. “It’s a Wolf secret. If we told you, we’d have to kill you!”

That was a little extreme. Willa subtly shook her head. It wasn’t that deep.

Wynter caught the look and instantly panicked. “Too much? Too much! I knew it, sorry!” With a lighter disposition, she tried, “Welcome!”

Willa shot a look to the Cave entrance. They needed to get a move on. Wynter seemed to catch a bit of the hint because she amended, “But not _too_ welcome!” Willa wouldn’t admit it aloud, but the little growl she put into it was absolutely adorable.

Those thoughts flew from mind as Wynter’s stone glowed green and she began coughing. Willa’s hair stood on end just hearing the sound. She hated it, hated knowing how close her mate was to death. Wyatt kept her in place, knowing how hostile she could get to anyone around Wynter whenever she sounded like that. Addison was useful, they couldn’t afford for her to get hurt.

“Are you okay?” Addison asked Wynter, rubbing her back in concern. Willa’s eyes narrowed at the gesture, not liking some human being so _close_ when Wynter was vulnerable.

Thankfully, Wynter recovered a little and Wyatt began to explain the situation. “Every day, more and more of our Pack become sick because their moonstones lose their power. All of our elders are too sick to travel which leaves-.”

“Which leaves leading the Pack to us.” A weight settled in her chest as she amended, “To _me_.” She moved over to place a comforting hand on her mate’s arm. “You’ll be fine, Wynter. _I promise_.” Shooting a glare to Wyatt, Willa added, “You better be right about this. We need to find the Moonstone _soon._ ” He knew what would happen to him should they fail. Willa wouldn’t wait for his necklace to completely drain, she would make him pay for wasting their time.

Carefully, she led Wynter into the Cave. Wyatt followed with Addison and they emerged into the Den. Willa hid a grin at Wynter’s theatrics. “It’s okay to be impressed,” Wynter added with a bit of preening. They never got to show anyone their home.

As they stepped in, Wyatt called for Addison to be welcomed. Naturally, being a human, she stumbled over the greeting. Willa gritted her teeth irritably. They didn’t have _time_ for _pleasantries!_ “Enough,” she growled. “This is not why we _brought her here._ ”

Addison turned to Wyatt in confusion and asked the thousand-pebble question, “Why _am_ I here?”

Wyatt wasted no time using the crystal to show her. Everyone turned to watch the image of the Great Alpha howling on the Cave wall. “I believe you will lead us to the Moonstone. I believe you’re the Great Alpha. I believe you’re a werewolf!”

Willa knew what was coming next. She stalked off to a side wall to watch Wyatt’s theatrics. She knew they didn’t have time for this, but she also knew the others needed this hope. Hope was the only thing keeping them going. She leaned back to watch everyone welcome Addison without a hint of suspicion. Well, guess that was up to her.

Or it would’ve been, but Addison threw herself into this role. Even if she proved not to be the Great Alpha, she was still willing to speak for them, to believe them, to _help_ them. No pleasantries or any of that. She knew what she needed to do, what they needed her to do, and she would do it without any of the dragging feet the other humans would.

It was the first time in a long while Willa had felt hope, real hope, fill her chest. They would get what was rightfully theirs. They would be safe.

A new scent penetrated the air along with hurried footsteps and Willa’s protective instincts kicked in seeing the lunkhead from the previous day rushing into _her_ Den. Who did he think he was? This was _werewolf_ territory!

Willa’s teeth bared as he dared threaten them in their own home. All those Seabrook people were the same. No respect for the original inhabitants of the land. She would _not_ let him do as he pleased in _their_ Cave. She didn’t care _how_ strong he was, they could take him. The problem was how much power that would take from their already limited supply…

All fighting paused when Addison stepped back into the line of attack. Willa held her hand up to stop her wolves from attacking. What had Eliza called it? A Z-Band? Whatever it was, it cut him off from his true power and made him weak. If he tried to attack again, they wouldn’t hesitate to rip him apart.

Not necessary, though. Willa allowed her Pack to relax since it seemed the danger had passed. She held a hand out to Wyatt and he slipped an ornate box into her grip. She sauntered over and reclaimed the room’s attention. “For centuries, this has been set aside for the Great Alpha.” She opened the box to reveal the fully charged moonstone inside.

“A fully charged moonstone is _priceless_ to us, Addison,” Wyatt explained, putting emphasis on the importance. They needed her to know how invaluable this artifact was and what it took for them to give it to her.

“If you’re truly one of us,” Willa continued. “When you put it on, you’ll be transformed into a werewolf. Part of our Pack. Forever.” She couldn’t contain the excitement at the thought. If Addison proved to be one of them, then she _was_ the Great Alpha and those humans would be powerless to stop them from regaining their Moonstone.

“What! No! Wait…” Willa was getting _real_ tired of this guy butting into things that weren’t his business. If not for the possibility of their moonstones malfunctioning the band stopping him from accessing his power, she would jump him herself.

Addison took a deep breath. “Can I think about it?” she asked quietly.

Willa glanced back to Wyatt and Wynter. She didn’t want to waste time with _thinking_. They needed to act. But… Wyatt was giving her _the Look_. And Wynter seemed okay with it. Turning her gaze back to Addison, Willa relented. “For a day.”

Addison nodded and accepted the box gingerly. Wyatt grinned. Things were working out perfectly. “Once you’ve joined us, you can take us to the hidden Moonstone.”

“But she doesn’t know where it is,” Wynter pointed out. While that was a problem, having the Great Alpha would fix most of everything wrong.

Suddenly, eruptions and vibrations shook the Cave. Willa tapped Wyatt’s chest and headed for the Cave entrance to see what was up. The zombies and humans followed along and they all spotted some lights flashing in a building in the middle of Seabrook.

“Seabrook power is the birthplace of zombies,” Eliza explained to the werewolves.

“A little lime soda mixed with some mysterious energy and BAM! Zombies.” The lunkhead was lucky Wynter snarled back at him or Willa would’ve ripped his head off right then and there for daring to get so close to her mate.

Instead, she tilted her head back in disinterest. “Nice story, but it doesn’t concern us.”

“But it does concern you, Willa!” Addison gasped excitedly. “Seabrook Power was fueled by a mysterious energy source. That could be your Moonstone! Right?”

Willa looked off toward that building again, realizing that she might be right. “She found the Moonstone,” Wyatt hissed, barely containing his awe. _He’s never gonna let me live this down,_ Willa thought. “She’s amazing!” Quieter, he added, “If she’s right… wow…”

They would have their Moonstone back. They’d be able to charge their necklaces, they’d be able to live longer lives, they’d be able to travel and see what they couldn’t for the last century. They wouldn’t have to deal with those pretentious humans unless they _felt_ like it.

Willa watched the building a little longer and her stomach dropped as she realized something else. Not good, not good, not good. Just like always, the humans were bent on their destruction. “We’ll see you at school tomorrow, Addison,” she said, trying to keep the panic from her voice.

“Okay!” Addison chirped, none-the-wiser. “Tomorrow. Big day.”

As the zombies and humans filed out, Willa stepped in Wyatt’s path. She didn’t want to say this where Wynter might hear. She couldn’t risk her mate knowing just yet. Instead, she turned to Wyatt, still trying to repress her panic. “If they destroy that building, it’ll _crush_ the Moonstone underneath. We can’t let that happen-.”

“Addison can help-.”

“ _Maybe!_ ” Willa snapped. “When she’s one of us, but til then, _I_ lead this Pack.” Turning to the wolves gathered below, she called, “We need to stop them from destroying the Moonstone. Whatever it takes!”

She lifted her head in a howl that they all joined quickly. She knew they would follow her, even to death if necessary. Willa hoped it didn’t come to that. She wanted to trust Addison, to trust the zombies and their willingness to help, but it was thanks to humans that her Pack was even in this situation. She couldn’t trust them until they did something substantial, and by the time they did, it would be too late. They needed to act fast. She wouldn’t let the Pack die. She couldn’t.

~~~

They spent most of the night preparing for what they needed to do. From stealing schematics to keeping an ear to the ground to find out when the demolition was supposed to take place, every member of the Pack capable of doing something _did_. Willa and Wyatt talked over different plans and infiltration techniques. They needed to get in and get their Stone before the humans and zombies figured out they were there. None of them actually cared if the building went up in flame, but what was underneath it was too priceless to leave there.

Willa just wanted them in and out, but Wyatt had a way to stop the demolition completely. If they stalled, it would give them more time. But that could be time they didn’t have. Willa knew Wyatt was looking out for their safety, but safety meant nothing if that Stone was destroyed. Was worry making her overprotective and confrontational? Probably. She would never have acted like this fifteen years ago, but this wasn’t fifteen years ago. She didn’t want to risk the Pack dying off before they could get the Stone back to the Den. She really did just want to save everyone.

What irked her to no end was that they were at the _school_ explaining the plan while the rest of the school was at the stupid president thing. They could’ve done this closer to the powerplant, but Wyatt wanted to wait for Addison. Waiting for her to make up her mind would be their _downfall_ if they waited any longer!

“It’s my responsibility to make sure we’re all safe,” she pointed out. She hated standing here. They needed to _go._ “We follow _my_ lead.”

“It’s a good plan, Willa,” Wyatt pointed out, no doubt about to argue with her.

“What plan?” a voice called before they wasted any more time. They all turned to see Addison striding forward.

Wynter piped up excitedly. Before she could stop herself, she explained, “We’re going after the Moonstone. Top Secret. You can’t tell anyone.” Almost immediately, she realized what she just did. “ _Bad wolf, bad wolf!_ ”

Willa would console her over her mistake later. For now, Addison was here, which meant they didn’t have any reason to still be there.

“You’re going after the Moonstone now?” Addison asked. Why would they do it right now instead of when the demo site was safe for people to be nearby?

“It won’t survive the detonation,” Wyatt explained. They didn’t have time to waste.

“Then let me join you!” Addison knew she was jumping into it, but they needed all the help they could get. She wanted to help them, in any way she could. If they said the Moonstone wouldn’t survive the detonation, she wanted to be there, to help.

Opening the ornate box Willa gifted her, Addison felt her body go cold. No. No, no, no! This wasn’t right, it couldn’t be. “It’s gone,” she said, her breath shortening as she realized what that meant.

“You _lost_ it?” Wynter breathed. All of the wolves stared at Addison incredulously. She knew how important the necklaces were to them, what a fully charged one was worth. They could’ve given that to a newborn pup, but they’d trusted her with it!

“Do you know how precious a moonstone necklace is?” Willa demanded. A growl built in her chest, but it was out of hurt more than anything. She’d been so _stupid_ to believe a _human_ could care about them. Humans were nothing but trouble when things actually mattered. “If she was serious about being a wolf, if she was ‘The Great Alpha’… she wouldn’t have been so careless.” They didn’t have time for this. Every second they wasted here with this girl, they were losing on retrieving their artifact.

This couldn’t be happening. She _had_ it! Just a little bit ago! “No, I-I don’t know how- I-!”

“Stay _out_ of our amazing hair,” Willa huffed. She didn’t have time for this. Maybe Addison had a reason or maybe she had an excuse. Either way, they were needed elsewhere. She would get that Moonstone back and then, they’d have all the time in the world.

Leading her pack members from the school, Willa crushed the disappointment welling inside her. She could deal with those feelings later. Addison may have seemed genuine, but if she couldn’t be there for them when they needed her, there was no point.

Stealing through the streets, they headed for that energy plant. The intercoms around the place kept saying the demolition was scheduled for 5pm, which meant they didn’t have much time. They needed to find a path to the Stone and get out of there. After checking over the schematics, she’d spotted a route that might take them to the ‘mysterious energy source’, but it was deep in the building. They’d need to keep a watch out for humans and zombie workers.

It would’ve been simple, but one of the stupid tripwire alarms caught them off guard. At full health, they never would’ve even touched it, but stumbling into an alarm is hardly their fault like this. Willa ushered her wolves further in. They needed to hurry now that they were going to be discovered. She led them toward the route she found, but before they could make it, lights flooded the area and officers slid from every corner like sludge.

“Wolves!” some stiff in a suit shouted. “Freeze where you are!”

Willa kept an ear on all her packmates. They didn’t have the energy to spare dispatching these humans. They came here for one thing and then the humans could demolish this building faster than a fox on a rabbit’s nest. But they wanted what was theirs first. Her eyes remained on the stiff in front of him, the one seemingly unconcerned for his safety. She would make him regret that.

Dale glared at the werewolves. These disgusting beasts had put _thoughts_ into his sweet little girl’s head, made her over to look like one of _them_. He’d take care of them and get his adorable, pastel baby girl back to her cheerleading self.

“You’re trespassing, werewolves,” he told them.

“How can we be trespassing on our own land?” Wyatt shot back.

“This is _werewolf_ territory!” Wynter shouted, hoping to menace the humans into getting out of their way.

Dale kept as many of them in his sights as possible. “I don’t know anything about that.” He didn’t. No one in Seabrook knew anything about the Original Beasts that inhabited the land. All anyone knew was what the history books said, and if the history books said it, it couldn’t be wrong. These werewolves were ferocious monsters and they needed to be taken care of.

Willa did a quick calculation in her head. With the number of emergency officers, and how much approximate power they all still had, they would be able to surge through the people gathered and still grab their Moonstone. “We can take them,” she called to her Pack.

They all rallied behind her and Wyatt, ready to attack on command. But a different command came sooner.

“Arrest them!” Dale shouted to his officers.

Smoke sprayed right at them, clinging to their skin and burning, coating their throats and making it difficult to breathe. Willa tried to see through the smoke and pain and spotted one of those disgusting humans putting metal cuffs on Wynter. She’d remember her face. She would be Willa’s first victim when she got out of these stupid things. _No one_ touches her mate without Wynter’s _express_ permission.

“Colloidal silver,” Dale said smugly. “That’ll tame those beasts.”

Willa felt her stomach twist hearing the zombie worker shout for everyone to clear out. They’d been too late, stalled too long. “I failed you,” she called to her fellow wolves. “They’ll destroy the Moonstone.” Lowering her voice sadly, her eyes locked with Wyatt’s. “They’ll destroy us.”

“NO!”

All heads whipped up at the call and everyone turned to see an entire crowd rushing forward with Addison in the lead. She strutted closer, determination shining in her eyes. She and Eliza marched forward, declaring their support of the wolves and opposition of the demolition. They couldn’t let this happen. The wolves needed them more than ever. Since the police wouldn’t listen to the wolves, maybe they’d listen to a crowd of their own people.

Bonzo turned on the sprinklers overhead, clearing the area of the colloidal silver the officers had sprayed. The wolves cheered as the flakes clinging to their skin were washed away. Willa couldn’t believe it, cheering alongside Wyatt as even the lunkhead joined in the protest. It was working! They could make it!

“You gotta stop the demolition, Dad,” Zed said. “I _know_ how hard you worked to get this job, but, if it’s gonna hurt the werewolves, you have to stop it.” He knew how much this meant to his dad, but the wolves needed their Moonstone. It was something precious to them and they couldn’t destroy it just for some new cheer emporium.

Zevon took a moment, glancing over to the wolves being detained. With a nod, he agreed. “You’re right. And Addison’s right.” Turning to his assistant, he ordered, “Shut it down. Stop the detonation.” Raising his voice, he called to the wolves, “Tomorrow, when it’s safe, we’ll find what you’re looking for, but for right now, you can all go home!”

THEY DID IT! Cheers sounded all through the space as the crowd celebrated their victory. The wolves turned to the officers to get their cuffs removed and Wyatt pumped his fists. He knew she could do it! He knew they would win! Willa grinned at him and let out a howl in victory and relief. They would get their Moonstone. They would be free!

Everyone hurried from the site as the crew started shutting down. They’d need to be a little careful with the charges the following day, but for now, with the counter stopped, they just needed to close up like usual. The wolves followed Addison and Bree from the site, letting themselves bask in their victory.

Willa knew she needed to apologize to Addison. She’d been cruel to her back at the school. Even if it was because she was hurt and disappointed, that wasn’t an excuse. Addison had been the only human to treat them all like people and she deserved an apology. If for nothing else than because she helped them even after Willa snubbed her.

Everything paused when the lunkhead caught up to them. Willa should probably apologize to him, too, and learn his name. He _did_ convince his father to let them go and stop what he’d been working hard to do. For that, he also deserved an apology, even if he’d touched Wynter amicably without invitation.

“He found it!” Addison told them excitedly. Wyatt and Wynter seemed impressed, but Willa didn’t like that. Something was up. Addison lost the necklace and the lunkhead just ‘found’ it?

“I took it,” Zed explained. “I stole it when you weren’t looking.”

Those words sent a ripple through the wolves. He _stole_ it? _He stole it?!_ Willa took it back. She’d have his head for what he did. If Addison had _been_ with them, they might not have even been held up! _He slowed them down!_

“I thought I lost it.” Wyatt heard the mounting hurt and anger in Addison’s voice and glanced between the pair. “I _questioned_ myself-!”

“Addison, I’m sorry. I was afraid that if you turned into a wolf, I’d lose you.”

“You don’t get to make that choice for me!”

“But a werewolf?”

Wyatt and Willa both stiffened. What was wrong with being a werewolf? At least they could keep full control of themselves without some stupid wristband’s help. That guy was lucky he’d just helped save them or Willa would have some snarling _words_ with him. They were _proud_ of their heritage!

Wynter tapped them and they all waited with bated breath as Addison turned away to slip the necklace around her throat. Wyatt’s heart slammed into his chest, ready to greet the Great Alpha by her true title. Addison had saved them, had rallied the people together under her. There was no question about it. She was the Great Alpha.

Addison took a deep breath and turned back to Bree in the same way she saw Willa pose when summoning her power. When no one reacted, though, she got nervous. “Am I?” she asked hopefully.

Bree knew how much being accepted meant to her best friend. It was more important to Addison than anyone else in Seabrook, even the zombies. She knew Addison had searched for the meaning behind her hair for so long, but… “You’re beautiful, Addi,” she said quietly. “But… the same beautiful that you’ve always been.”

Hearts plummeted through the crowd. Wyatt’s hit the ground the hardest. Trying to stay calm and not let his disappointment show, he glanced to Willa. “She’s not a werewolf.” Despite all Addison had done, Willa was right. She wasn’t one of them. The Great Alpha really was just a pup’s tale.

“Boss!” Everyone turned in the direction of the call as a zombie hurried over. “We got a problem. The remote shorted out-now the timer’s runnin’.”

“Well, shut it off!” Zevon told him.

“I can’t!”

Not good. If the detonation timer couldn’t be turned off then-!

“No, no!”

Zevon raced toward where the Plant was, everyone on his heels. They all arrived in time to watch the building go up in flames, not only destroying a symbol of zombie history, but the only thing keeping the werewolves alive. Willa stared in abject horror as the smoke filled the air. “What’ve they done?” she whispered brokenly.

As one, all of the wolves’ moonstones glowed green, highlighting their failure as they coughed. There was nothing to help them now. There was nothing any of them could do. They couldn’t charge their necklaces. Even with Addison’s help… they were going to die.

Addison’s head dropped into her hands as she finally turned away from the wreckage. “No,” she breathed. “No, this can’t be happening. This _can’t_ be happening!”

“Addison, it’s going to be okay,” her dad told her. “We can try to scavenge the pieces. The historians at the museum can put it back together-.”

“It’ll be _pointless!_ ” Addison exclaimed, drawing away from her father. “It’ll be _pointless_ to put it back together because by the time they _do,_ the wolves’ll be…”

She spun to where several of the wolves had dropped to their knees, holding their gems—they’re _lifelines_ —in tight grips. “I’m sorry,” she told them, her voice cracking. “I’m sorry I wasn’t- I’m not who you need me to be-.”

“It’s fine,” Wyatt rasped, helping Willa support Wynter. “It’s better you aren’t one of us. It would just be another death on their hands.”

“Death?” Bree shouted.

“They needed their Moonstone to recharge their necklaces,” Addison explained, her shoulders slumping. “Without it, their necklaces lose the charge.”

Zed and Eliza’s eyes widened and they rounded on Willa in horror. “Those-those necklaces, they’re-!” Zed’s eyes fell to the sickly green gems and his whole body went cold. “You’re going to die…”

Willa kept Wynter close as they tried to regain their breath. Just like always, the humans had led them to destruction. They had failed.

~~~

Wyatt hesitantly stepped out to the highest point on the Cave. His eyes took only a moment to spot the trembling figure sitting at the Crest. With a sigh, he picked his way over. Historically, only the Alpha was able to get to this point, but Willa had been initiated as a temporary Alpha, so anyone could come up until she properly took over. He’d use that to his advantage now.

“Hey,” he called quietly.

“Say it,” Willa whispered.

“Say what?”

“That this is all my fault.” Willa’s voice weighed heavily with the sound of tears she wouldn’t shed. “If I’d been friendlier toward the humans like you, we might’ve gotten Addison’s trust faster. If I hadn’t rushed to the powerplant, we wouldn’t’ve been stalled with silver. If I’d been a better leader, we might’ve been able to live.”

Wyatt shook his head. “Willa, that’s not fair. You were doing what you could for the Pack.”

“And I led us to destruction,” Willa huffed. “The Moonstone is gone because I couldn’t wait for Addison.”

“We didn’t have _time_ to wait,” Wyatt reminded her earnestly. “They were going to destroy everything before we arrived. _Thanks to you_ , we stalled them enough to have the _possibility_ of finding it.”

“But it was for _nothing!_ ” Willa snapped, her voice breaking on the last word. “Sending you into town, enrolling at the school, telling Addison the truth, everything was for _nothing!_ ” She slammed her fist against the rock, crumbling it beneath her fingers. “And thanks to me rushing us into the plant the way I did, they sprayed us with _silver!_ We were already dying and now the process is probably sped up!”

“You don’t know that-.” Wyatt flinched back when Willa growled at him.

“You didn’t hear what Addison’s dad said,” Willa snarled. “You didn’t _hear_ him! ‘Colloidal silver’ is what they sprayed us with. Do you know what that is?”

Wyatt shook his head and Willa dropped her head onto her arms. “Eliza let me look it up on her phone after Lunkhead’s dad finished apologizing.” She took a deep breath. “They’re flakes of silver in water. We _breathed it in_. Who knows how much of it is still in our systems, clinging to our vitals and without the Moonstone to regenerate our healing abilities...”

She couldn’t finish. They were goners. Silver in their systems and necklaces failing, now they were just waiting to die, one-by-one. A single tear slid down her cheek and she gritted her teeth. Her claws dug into her palms as she fought not to let anymore escape.

Wyatt watched his sister spiral further into despair and leaned over. Like when they were smaller, he pulled her into a hug and leaned her head against his chest. Back then, the sound of his heartbeat would calm her down. Now, it only sped up her breakdown.

Soft sobs filtered from Willa’s lips as she clutched him for support, for comfort. “I failed her,” she rasped. It was through sheer willpower she wasn’t wailing like a pup. “I promised she’d be okay and now she’s going to die because I wasn’t fast enough. I never should’ve become Alpha. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“No,” Wyatt insisted. “You were the best option for Alpha. You’ve kept us _safe_. You _led us_ to the one person in that town that wanted to help us, werewolf or not. You were trying _so hard_ to live up to the Alphas of the past.”

“But I-.” Now Willa stopped as Wyatt stroked her hair and shook his head.

“Most of what happened was _out of your control_ ,” he insisted vehemently. “You had no way of knowing which humans to trust, you didn’t know that Zed guy took Addison’s necklace, you didn’t know the humans had colloidal silver, and _you couldn’t have stopped their device from malfunctioning._ ” He took a deep breath. “This _isn’t_ your fault. This is just another crime on the hands of the humans that wronged us.”

Willa sniffed and took a few deep breaths. “I don’t know what to do.”

Wyatt chuckled and said, “Well then, it’s a good thing the Alpha has a Pack to help her when she’s stuck.” He pulled back to look down at her. “Come on. None of them believe you’re a bad leader. They’d probably have cheered when you were properly instated. For now, though, they need you to be there for them.”

There were a few beats of silence as they reaffirmed their trust in one another, in their ancestors, and in their Pack. _In this Pack for life._ They could do this. No matter how long until the last of them breathed, they would do all they could to ease their pack members. Until the end.

~~~

Willa glared over at the lunkhead that dared come here after being part of the reason they failed. She looked around for anyone else who looked worse than before. She didn’t have time to entertain whatever came out of this guy’s mouth. Necklace or not, she’d claw his lips off if he didn’t say something worthwhile.

Wyatt, knowing how volatile his sister was, faced Zed, waiting. Zed took a deep breath. “They were wrong to destroy Seabrook Power,” he began. “And I was wrong about werewolves. You have _every_ right to fight for who you are.”

_ Who you are. _ “Yeah, but what are we now, zombie?” Wyatt scoffed. Sick, powerless, dying, broken. They might as well be nothing.

“You’re fierce, proud werewolves!” Zed exclaimed. For the first time since meeting to him, both Alpha siblings finally felt like he actually _meant_ what he was saying. What did it mean now, though?

“Yeah, they think we’re monsters,” Willa pointed out, gesturing vaguely toward the town.

Everyone in the Den noticed the shift as Zed nodded. “We _are_ monsters.” Willa looked at him in confusion and a small spark of hope returned to Wyatt’s eyes. “So since we’re monsters… who are _they_ to tell _us_ what to do?”

“Listening…” Willa murmured with interest.

Zed rubbed his arm. “I know part of all of this is my fault. I’m sorry I proposed the idea to destroy the plant, and I’m sorry we couldn’t do more to stop the demolition.” He set his jaw. “But if this is going to be one of your last nights, you deserve to spend it making the humans squirm as much as possible. Even if it’s petty, you deserve _something_ for all they’ve— _I’ve_ —put you through.” He eyed them for a beat. “Come to Prawn.”

“You lost us,” Wyatt muttered.

“None of those humans know-.” Zed glanced around. “Before speaking with Addison last night, no one but she knew that Moonstone was you guys’ lifeline. Most of the people in town _still_ don’t know. Even if you never show up in town again, you can’t leave letting them think they’d won.” His voice softened. “You can’t. You deserve better than that.”

Willa slowly nodded. “Alright,” she finally said. “One last show of strength, I guess.” Turning to the Den at large, she called, “Anyone who is healthy enough, come with me. Those humans think they’ve defeated us. We’re going to show them that we are _proud_ of who we are, of what we are! We are proud and they can’t take that from us!”

A few stray growls of agreement permeated the room and a few of the others stood. Willa smiled. “No matter what they’ve done, we’ve come farther than any of them could’ve imagined. Til the very end, we are Wolf Strong!”

“Wolf Strong!” they chorused.

A slight cough off to her side made Willa glance over and her smile fell. She stepped forward to catch Wynter as her mate stumbled up. “Wynter, you need to rest,” Willa cooed, stroking her hair.

“I can’t,” Wynter mumbled. “Wolf Strong.”

Willa bit her lip. She never wanted to deny Wynter anything, especially not a chance to make some humans wet themselves, but she didn’t have long. Willa didn’t want her pushing herself. If Wynter collapsed in front of the humans, Willa would slaughter every witness without hesitation.

A hand on her shoulder caught her attention. Looking down, she found big brown eyes gazing up at her. Even if she was dying, the fire behind those eyes was as strong as ever. “I wanna be there,” Wynter whispered. “I wanna be there for the Pack. They took something important from us.”

That did it. “Okay,” Willa agreed. “ _Wolves, let’s get into our best clothes._ We’ve got a party to crash.”

Yeah, they were all tired. Yeah, they had to walk to Prawn. But the entrance they made spoke volumes. Willa wasn’t going to let _anyone_ stand in their way of having one last night to enjoy being alive. Her flippant threats weren’t a joke. She wouldn’t attack unless she _absolutely_ had to, but she’d make you _feel_ your own mortality.

Especially this plucky little deer who thought himself big and bad enough to stop them all. Bold move from someone standing alone. Willa advanced quickly. Wynter had never had a chance to go to a formal dance like this. _Pull that lever,_ she internally snarled. _I dare you._

“Welcome to Prawn,” Bucky grumbled, grudgingly making his way inside.

Willa allowed her power to recede and turned away to cover a cough. Wyatt was at her side in a second. They were a united front, werewolves and zombies together. They could do this. With a smile, Willa led Wynter into the school. None of them had ever been to anything like this before, so they weren’t sure what to expect. The dim lighting was nice, though. And there were places for them to sit, which was a relief, as several of the wolves were short of breath.

Honestly, Wyatt wished they could appear stronger, but that show out front was probably the last bit of strength any of them had left. He had zero doubt Willa wouldn’t hesitate to fillet anyone who made a remark about it, and if Wynter faded before she did, well, there would go all of Willa’s self-restraint. He’d so been hoping for a better outcome, a happier one. Addison wasn’t a wolf, but she _had_ led them to the Moonstone, and had even done all she could to help them stop the demolition. It just… wasn’t enough.

Willa watched her wolves lean or sit anywhere they could and she gave a soft sigh. Warner leaned his head against her shoulder and she stroked his hair. Wynter tried to look strong, but she was just as beat as the rest of them. She’d been pushing herself for so long. Willa just wanted her to rest, to have… some form of freedom from all of this.

_ ‘Ask and you shall receive’ as the humans say. _

The earthquake was unexpected. If Wyatt dared to dream, maybe the Moonstone _knew_ the only people who needed it were going to waste away without its help. Whatever the reason for this miracle, they wouldn’t waste it. Willa leaped into the crater without a second thought, hurrying toward their lost artifact. Just as they’d always done, the Pack followed their Alpha. With Willa’s eyes leading the way, they emerged into an underground space with their Moonstone still intact.

They could’ve cried. They weren’t going to die out. They were going to make it! Everyone recharged their necklaces and tried to get the Stone out, but there weren’t enough of them. Not good! If they couldn’t get it back home, they’d be the last ones left!

“Maybe you need to expand your pack,” a voice called.

Willa almost couldn’t believe her ears, or her eyes a moment later. “Addison?” It was her, with an entire group of zombies and humans behind her. What were they doing here? Why would they come?

“We came to help!”

Together—wolves, zombies, _and_ humans—they managed to get the Moonstone out of the alcove, out of the ground, and even out of the school. They’d done it. They’d managed to come through even when everything else had worked against them. With the others rushing off the different tunnels in the Den to retrieve and recharge everyone’s necklaces, Willa pulled Addison aside.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything. For believing in us, and rallying your people to help us. We wouldn’t be here if not for you. I’m sorry I was so hard on you before-.”

“You had to be,” Addison interrupted her, placing a hand on her arm. “Your people were dying and it was my people’s fault. I wish I could’ve done more sooner, but I’m so glad you guys are gonna be okay.”

Willa reached forward and pulled her into a hug, spinning her around with a laugh. They’d done it. They’d really done it! “I’m gonna take Wynter _everywhere!_ ” she cheered. “Not even just the Bahamas! We’re gonna climb mountains and see the Acropolis and I can show her those weird triangle thingies in the desert!”

“Pyramids?” Addison laughed.

“Aren’t those the things with lion bodies and people faces?” Willa asked.

“Stick around for a little while and I’ll tell you a little about it before you go,” Addison tried. Both of them were feeling the high of the night.

As they separated, one of the Elders emerged from a side tunnel and cleared her throat. All of the wolves froze and gave their full attention to her. The outsiders did the same, not wanting to be disrespectful. “It warms my heart to see this day at last,” Elder Wynona chuckled softly. “Eighty years ago, none of us could have imagined this being the outcome of retrieving our dear Moonstone. To that end, all of you and whomever so wishes, are invited to the initiation of our New Alpha next Full Moon.”

Willa shrank back at that. Half a month. Half a month and she wouldn’t be Alpha anymore. She’d probably proven how unworthy she was of the title. Whoever was chosen instead would be a much better fit.

Wyatt was _not_ about to let his sister’s guilt and regret ruin the good streak they were on tonight. Without hesitation, he gave a howl, one taken up by the rest of the wolves. Willa’s head snapped up in confusion and shock as she stared around. Even the wolves that had been sick during her temporary leadership joined the howl and Wynona gave an answering howl to the crowd.

“For those of us who don’t speak Wolf?” Zed called curiously.

“They have nominated their leader,” Wynona explained. “And I couldn’t agree more.” Her eyes shone yellow as she turned to face Willa. “Prepare yourself. Your Initiation is only half a month away.”

All of the other wolves took up a howl in celebration and the outsiders joined in just for the fun of it. Willa couldn’t believe it. After she’d nearly gotten them killed, they still believed in her. Her lips spread into a wide grin. Wynter squealed happily and threw herself at Willa. Just like always, Willa caught her and spun her around. Wynter leaned up to steal a kiss and, when they pulled apart, she whispered, “Best mate ever.”

Willa didn’t stop smiling for the rest of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading. 10,000 words (9994 here, 10,000 solid in the word doc) can't be easy to get through in one sitting, so thank you for your time. I'm not even sure what compelled me to write this, but I look forward to bringing more of my ideas ~~both clean and not so clean~~ to the fandom.


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